August overseas tourist visits down despite London 2012 Olympics

The UK saw a drop in overseas visitors this August, despite the draw of the London 2012 Olympics, official figures have shown.

The Great Britain team enter the Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony (Picture: Getty)

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), tourist numbers fell from 3.2million foreign residents visiting the UK in August 2011 to 3.03million this year.

Although visitor numbers this year were lower, figures from the ONS showed that visitor spending rose from £2.17billion in August 2011 to £2.38billion in August 2012. In addition, figures from January-August show that tourist spending was up three per cent on the same period last year.

‘The Olympics generated record tourist spend, up nine per cent on August last year, helping to boost the country’s economy and giving us enormous confidence as we build on the fantastic showcase of this summer,’ he said.

‘And domestic tourism was also strong over the summer, with more than £760million spent on Olympics-related day trips.’

The ONS also maintained that the Olympics may not be the only factor deterring overseas visitors.

Senior statistician Roger Smith, speaking to BBC News, cited factors such as the weather and currency exchange rates as additional reasons for the drop in numbers.